Just recently, Don at With Malice… asked me to do a feature regarding what the future holds for our beloved Timberpuppies. He is doing a feature on the various NBA teams, and has asked other team specific blogs for submissions as well. How could I not oblige him? The following is my entry on behalf of WolvesNation:
Will the Timberwolves Ever Get Some Bite To Go With Their Bark?
This off-season is shaping up to be of the most vital in the past decade for our Minnesota Timberwolves; if not the most vital. Whatever happens with the draft and the following free agency period, could literally determine the future success (or lack thereof) for our hometown heroes. When it boils down to the nitty-gritty, this is a team with too many questions and not even answers. Do I have faith in our Front Office and Coaching Staff to make the correct off-season decisions, as well as lead us to contention in the future? To put it bluntly, no, I do not. Who are the Wolves going to draft with the #3 overall pick? I don’t think our brain trust can even answer that right now. We have too many holes to fill, and are not in a position to do anything other than selecting the “Best Available Player.” However, with our 7-headed selection committee, will they be able to agree upon who the BPA even is? Heaven forbid we trade down so that we can fill a “need”, with a lower lotto pick and by acquiring additional “assets.” The post-draft time period only brings more uncertainties: which players on our extensive free agent list (Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Chris Richard, Kirk Snyder, and Michael Doleac) do we retain? Which do we let go? Is Randy Wittman even the right man to lead this team? I don’t think so… but he’s got two years remaining on his contract, so I think he’ll be sticking around for the time being.